Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Western Conference Finals Preview

Regular Season Meetings

Nov 8, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with teammates after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors and the Rockets faced off four times during the regular season, and the Warriors won all four games. In addition, all four of the Warriors’ wins against the Rockets were by at least 10 points.

The first meeting between these two teams was in Houston on November 8th.  The Warriors ultimately won 98-87 behind Curry’s 34 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Andre Iguodala also chipped in 15 points off the bench. Howard didn’t play in this game.

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In their second meeting, the two teams met at Oracle Arena on December 10th. The Rockets yet again played without Howard, and the Warriors won by a final score of 105-93. This was their 14th straight win at the time. Harden scored 34 points, but the Warriors’ balanced scoring overcame that, as Curry and Harrison Barnes each scored 20 points, and Klay Thompson had 21 points.

Next, the Warriors and Rockets faced off in Houston on January 17th, and the Warriors won again by a final score of 131-106. The Warriors blew out the Rockets behind a 38-point third quarter and 27 points from both Curry and Thompson. The Warriors also held Harden to just 12 points.

The Warriors and the Rockets played just a few days later in their final regular season matchup on January 21st at Oracle Arena, and the Warriors won 126-113. In their previous matchup against each other, Harden said in a pregame huddle that the Warriors “ain’t that good.” The Warriors found out about this, and their last game with the Rockets became a physical, heated contest.

Curry picked up a technical foul in this game, as he was frustrated with Patrick Beverley‘s defense and the Rockets’ overly physical approach at guarding him. Soon after, Trevor Ariza bumped into Curry, and then Curry responded to the cheap shot by running at Ariza, before being held back by Draymond Green.

As mentioned earlier, the Warriors ultimately won though and swept the Rockets in their regular season matchups. Curry finished the game with 22 points and 10 assists, Thompson added 27 points, and Green chipped in 18 points.

This physicality and “bad blood” could certainly carry over into this playoff series.

Next, let’s examine the key matchups in this series.

Next: Key Matchups